Time flies, doesn’t it? Back in 2007, a brand new watershed organization was ready for staff and I was looking for part-time work. It was a great fit and as my kids grew so did the organization. Before I knew it, we were securing really big grants and I needed help so we hired more staff (and wow, was that an adjustment)! 10 years had passed, then 15 years, and now my kids are beginning to make their own way and headed off on new, big, adventures. And so am I.
By the time you read this, I’ll be embarking a new professional adventure too – as Program Administrator at the Ohio Lake Erie Commission. It’s time for me to make room for the next person to continue leading this great organization.
New adventures are exciting, hard, scary, and rewarding all at once. While leaving is really hard, the best part of Partners for Clean Streams has always been the people and that won’t change. It’s those people that truly make up PARTNERS for clean streams. From the Board that so quietly works behind-the-scenes (and sometimes lead cleanups and outreach tables too) to the financial partners that consistently provide reliable funding and in kind support to the many, many volunteers – you are each PARTNERS for clean streams. Without you, the long planning meetings, many grant applications, and long days packing supplies wouldn’t result in the huge impact in and near the rivers that we see every year. I may not have met each one of you personally, but thank you for being a Partner.
And to the staff, past and present, you are the ones whom I forget to thank, and that I relied on every day to put the to do lists and spreadsheets and random thoughts into action. You have all made PCS what it is day-to-day. Thank you for all your hard work and keep at it!
I know my departure will lead to some bumps and turbulence and for that I’m sorry, especially to the Board and staff. I hope it will all smooth out and that the thalweg will realign quickly (that’s stream speak for the middle, smoothest and fastest course of the stream)! I wish I could’ve thanked every past Board member, staff member, and consistent volunteer, but that just wasn’t possible (so hopefully you all read our newsletter and social media!).
I’ll still be around, in the “water world,” as I continue working on Lake Erie issues in a new way at the Ohio Lake Erie Commission so I hope our streams cross again. I will continue to watch the great work that Partners for Clean Streams is doing. This isn’t goodbye but I’ll see you around the next bend as we all work towards fishable, swimmable, and drinkable water.